Canine exercise wheel

ABSTRACT

An exercise wheel is configured to support canines and provide an apparatus that will enable the canine to exercise within a confined space. The exercise wheel is supported on a three bearing stance that can be configured in a freestanding configuration or in a configuration that is mounted to the exterior wall of a dog kennel. In the mounted configuration, the dog will have an unrestricted access to exercise without leaving the confinement provided by the dog kennel. The exercise wheel is freely rotatable from a frame affixed to the kennel wall with a gap between the wheel periphery and the kennel wall being covered by a plastic seal. The circumferential periphery of the exercise wheel is formed of wire mesh to allow waste and debris to pass through.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an exercise wheel for use bydogs to provide an apparatus through which dogs can get exercise withina confined space, and, more particularly, to a canine exercise wheelthat can be mounted to a kennel to allow a dog housed inside the kennelto seek exercise as desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Providing an exercise wheel by which animals can exercise withoutleaving a confined spaced is found within the prior art; however, noneof the exercise wheels are configured to support a dog, particularly alarge dog. For example, a cat exercise wheel is disclosed in U.S. DesignPat. No. D484,284, granted on Dec. 23, 2003, to Elmer Venson, et al.This cat exercise wheel is primarily intended for the animal to bewalking on the interior surface or on the exterior circumference of thewheel and does not have the height or the width to permit a dog to walkwithin the interior surface of the wheel. Furthermore, this smallexercise wheel is supported only on a central axial cantilevered bearingsupport that would not be adequate to support the weight of a dog.

U.S. Pat. No. 528,066, issued on Oct. 23, 1894, to Henry Ariens, teachesan exercise wheel that is intended for use by dogs. This exercise wheelis rotatably supported on an axially aligned bearing that enables thewheel to support the weight of a dog in a freestanding configurationalthough the support stand framework to position the axial bearing in anelevated location makes the entry to and the exit from the exercisewheel a dangerous and cumbersome task for the animal that is to utilizethe exercise wheel. As a result, an exercise wheel of this configurationwould not be commercially acceptable. Certainly, the Ariens exercisewheel would not be amenable to be mounted on a dog kennel to permit dogshoused therein to utilize the exercise wheel without leaving theconfined kennel space.

The exercise wheel found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,794,951, granted on Mar. 3,1931, to James Freer is configured to be used by small fur bearinganimals, such as minks and foxes that are kept in captivity with theexercise wheel being mounted within the pen housing the animals. As withthe Venson cat exercise wheel, this animal exercise wheel is supportedon a cantilevered axial bearing and cannot withstand the weight of largeanimals. The Freer exercise wheel does resolve one problem associatedwith a freestanding exercise wheel, such as is found in theaforementioned Ariens patent, by mounting the exercise wheel on acantilevered axial bearing support and closing the rear of the exercisewheel by a solid disk, the risk of injury to the animal by the shearingrelationship between the support frame and the rotating wheel iseliminated. Because of the cantilevered mounting, however, the Freerexercise wheel is not readily mountable on the exterior surface of a dogkennel to permit a dog housed therein to gain access thereto forexercise without leaving the confinement of the dog kennel.

Similar to the Freer exercise wheel, a tread drum for animals, such asprimates, having a cantilevered axial bearing support is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,088,094, issued on May 9, 1978, to Wayne Howard andassigned to NASA. This tread drum is intended to force animals utilizingthe drum to exercise at a predetermined rate by incorporating a shockingapparatus that will stimulate the animal to move on the tread drum. Aswith the other known exercise wheels discussed above, the rotationalsupport for the wheel itself is provided by an axial bearing extendingin a cantilevered manner from a support frame. The tread drum disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,361, granted to Scott Rowlands on Jun. 30, 1992,provides a unique four bearing support with rollers positioned along theouter circumference at the bottom portion of the tread drum that willadequately support the weight of a dog. The Rowlands exercise wheel isconfigured to be mounted on a base that can be easily disassembled fromthe exercise wheel. Without a support frame positioning an axial bearingsupport for the exercise wheel, the Rowlands tread drum has no pinchpoints that would present a danger to the animals using the exercisewheel. However, the Rowlands tread drum is not readily mountable to adog kennel to allow dogs therein to obtain exercise without leaving theconfinement of the dog kennel. Also, without a support frame, a dogcould literally knock the Rowlands exercise wheel off of the rollerbearings.

It would be desirable to provide an exercise wheel that can be used in afreestanding configuration or deployed on the exterior surface of a dogkennel to allow a dog housed within the kennel to gain access to theexercise wheel without leaving the confinement provided by the dogkennel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide an exercise wheel for a dogthat overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the known animalexercise wheels and tread drums.

It is a feature of this invention that the exercise wheel is supportedon three bearings, including an exteriorly oriented axial bearing and apair of rollers along the lower front periphery of the exercise wheel.

It is an advantage of this invention that the three bearing support forthe exercise wheel is provided on a frame that can be configured in afreestanding form or in a form that is mounted to the exterior wall of adog kennel.

It is another advantage of this invention that the three bearing supportprovides adequate support for carrying the weight of canines utilizingthe exercise wheel.

It is another feature of this invention that the axial bearing is spacedlongitudinally from the two roller bearings to provide a stable supportmechanism for the rotational operation of the exercise wheel.

It is still another feature of this invention that the exercise wheelcan be mounted on exterior wall of a dog kennel.

It is another object of this invention to provide an exercise wheel thatcan be mounted on an exterior wall of a dog kennel to provide a sourceof exercise for a dog confined within the dog kennel.

It is still another advantage of this invention that a dog housed withina kennel structure can be exercised without leaving the confinementprovided by the dog kennel.

It is yet another feature of this invention that the three bearingsupport mechanism can be mounted in a frame apparatus that can bedetachably mounted to a vertical exterior wall of a dog kennel.

It is a further advantage of this invention that a dog housed within akennel can have unrestricted access to exercise without leaving theconfinement of the kennel.

It is a further feature of this invention that a gap between the kennelwall and the periphery of the exercise wheel can be covered by a plasticseal.

It is yet another advantage of this invention that the plastic sealcovering the gap between the kennel wall and the periphery of theexercise wheel is affixed to the kennel wall and does not restrict therotation of the exercise wheel.

It is still a further feature of this invention that the circumferentialperiphery and the outer generally vertical wall of the exercise wheelare formed from wire to allow the passage of waste and debris throughthe exercise wheel.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an exercisewheel for use by canine which is durable in construction, inexpensive ofmanufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simpleand effective in use.

These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplishedaccording to the instant invention by providing an exercise wheelconfigured to support canines and provide an apparatus that will enablethe canine to exercise within a confined space. The exercise wheel issupported on a three bearing stance that can be configured in afreestanding configuration or in a configuration that is mounted to theexterior wall of a dog kennel. In the mounted configuration, the dogwill have an unrestricted access to exercise without leaving theconfinement provided by the dog kennel. The exercise wheel is freelyrotatable from a frame affixed to the kennel wall with a gap between thewheel periphery and the kennel wall being covered by a plastic seal. Thecircumferential periphery of the exercise wheel is formed of wire meshto allow waste and debris to pass through.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration ofthe following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of an exercise wheel in a freestandingconfiguration incorporating the principles of the instant invention, thewire covering over the back side of the exercise wheel being broken awayfor purposes of clarity of the underlying structure;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the exercise wheel shown in FIG. 1,the wire mesh covering around the circumferential periphery of the wheelbeing broken away for purposes of clarity of the underlying structure;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the exercise wheel shown in FIG.1, the wire covering being broken away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a the exercise wheel shown in FIG.1, the wire covering being broken away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the exercise wheel mounted on theexterior wall of a dog kennel according to the principles of the instantinvention, the wire covering being broken away for purposes of clarity,the representative kennel structure being shown in phantom;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a configuration of the exercisewheel mounted to a wall of a dog kennel as depicted in FIG. 5, the wirecovering being broken away for purposes of clarity, the representativekennel structure being shown in phantom;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the exercise wheel shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 with the wire covering being broken away for purposes ofclarity, the representative kennel structure being shown in phantom;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the frame member affixed to the kennelwall to support the exercise wheel for rotation;

FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the opposing frame member affixedto the kennel wall to support the exercise wheel; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the roller mountsupporting the exercise wheel for rotational movement relative to thewall of the dog kennel to which the exercise wheel is mounted,corresponding to lines 10-10 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, an exercise wheel for exercising canines ina confined spaced, and incorporating the principles of the instantinvention, can best be seen. The exercise wheel 10 is a generallycylindrical structure oriented vertically with a rear wall 12 formed ofan open wire covering oriented vertically. The circumference of thecylindrical structure defines a tread portion 13 on which the dog canwalk and cause the exercise wheel 10 to rotate. The tread portion 13 ispreferably covered with a wire mesh of a size that will not injure orirritate dog's feet. Alternatively, the tread portion 13 can be coveredwith a non-skid rubber or elastomeric mat 14, best seen in FIG. 3, thatis secured to the frame underlying the tread portion 15. Leaving thetread portion 13 in a wire mesh form will enable waste and other debristo pass through the tread portion 13 to the ground below.

The frame 15 supporting the wire covering on the back wall 12 and on thetread portion 13 is formed with a circular front rim 16, preferablyformed in an L-shaped angle to engage the rollers 29 as will bedescribed in greater detail below, a center disk 17 at the center of theback wall 12 and generally L-shaped support arms 18 defining a spiderthat extends between the center disk 17 and the circular ring 16.Preferably, the spider support arms 18 are equidistantly spaced aroundthe circular ring 16. The wire covering on the back wall 12 can bewelded to the spider support arms 18, which are in turn welded to thedisk 17 and the circular ring 16. Similarly, the wire mesh can beaffixed, as by welding, to the spider support arms 18 extending beneaththe tread portion 13 of the exercise wheel 10.

The support frame 20 supporting the exercise wheel 10 in an elevatedposition above the ground for rotational movement can be formed in afreestanding configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, or in a mountedconfiguration as will be described in greater detail below. Thefreestanding support frame 20 provides a three-bearing support stancefor the exercise wheel 10 to enable the wheel to adequately support theweight of a large dog utilizing the wheel 10. The freestanding supportframe 20 is formed in generally a triangular configuration with a pairof support legs 22 extending upwardly from a base portion 23 to meet atan apex where an axial bearing 25 is located. The axial bearing 25 issupported on a bearing support plate 24 forming the apex of the supportlegs 22 and rotatably mounts a shaft 27 affixed to the center disk 17and defining the axis of rotation of the exercise wheel 10. The shaft 27extends rearwardly from the center disk 17 rather than project into theinterior of the cylindrical structure of the wheel 10. Thus, theexercise wheel 10 rotates forwardly of the support legs 22 and above thebase portion 23.

Projecting upwardly from the base portion 23 at the forward circular rim16 is a pair of roller supports 29, each of which rotatably mounts aroller 29 that is placed into engagement with the circular rim 16 tosupport the weight of the exercise wheel 10 and the occupant thereof.The fore-and aft spacing of the axial bearing 25 at the rear of theexercise wheel 10 and the roller supports 29 at the front side of theexercise wheel 10 provides a stable three-point stance for the operationof the exercise wheel 10. As is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 10, thecircular rim 16 rests on top of the rollers 29 for rotation about theaxis of rotation defined the shaft 27 rotatably supported in the axialbearing 25.

Operation of the freestanding exercise wheel 10 is very simple. The dogis led onto the tread portion 13 on the interior side of thecircumferential periphery of the cylindrical exercise wheel 10 andencouraged to simply walk. The freely rotating wheel 10 will movebeneath the dog as it walks along the tread portion. The speed ofrotation is controlled by the dog, as is the starting and stopping ofthe rotation of the wheel 10. The freestanding configuration of theexercise wheel 10 can be utilized in an area in which the dog does nothave sufficient room to exercise properly. For example, the freestandingexercise wheel 10 would be an ideal exercise tool for use indoors in ahouse or apartment, or outdoors in a small yard.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-10, a mounted version of the exercise wheel 10can best be seen. Some states and local governments are requiring amandatory exercise period for animals housed in a kennel or otherenclosed space where the dog is not free to run and exercise. Althoughmost dog kennels are not sufficiently large in size to permit thedeployment of a freestanding configuration of the exercise wheel 10within the dog kennel, the exercise wheel 10 presents an ideal apparatusfor permitting a dog housed in a confined space to gain some exercise.By cutting an exit opening 5 in a vertical wall W of the kennelstructure K and mounting the exercise wheel 10 on the vertical wall W sothat the confined dog can exit the kennel K and step onto the treadportion 13 of the exercise wheel 10, as will be described in greaterdetail below, the dog can have an unrestricted amount of exercisewithout leaving the confinement provided by the kennel K.

The mounted frame 30 for the exercise wheel 10 is formed of left andright support members 32 which are formed as mirror images of oneanother, as can be seen best in FIGS. 8 and 9, and affixed to thevertical wall W of the kennel K. Each support member 32 has a fixationbracket 33 that is connected, such as by bolts or screws, to theexterior surface of the kennel wall W. From the lower end of eachfixation bracket 33, a roller support arm 34 extends inwardly toward theexercise wheel 10. Each roller support arm 34 rotatably supports aroller 35 that is positioned into engagement with the circular ring 16that is positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of the kennel wall Wfor a rotatable support thereof as is described in detail above withrespect to the freestanding version of the exercise wheel 10.

Each fixation bracket 33 is also formed with an outwardly extendingmounting arm 37 that is oriented generally horizontally to projectgenerally perpendicularly to the plane of the exterior surface of thekennel wall W. At the distal end 38 of each mounting arm 37 anattachment bracket 38 is formed. A transverse strut 39 is connected toeach respective attachment bracket 38 and extends behind the back wall12 of the exercise wheel 10 from one mounting arm 37 to the other. Thebearing support plate 24 is mounted at the center of the transversestrut 39 to support the axial bearing 25 rotatably mounting therearwardly extending shaft 27 defining the axis of rotation of theexercise wheel 10. Accordingly, the mounted version of the exercisewheel 10 is also supported on a three-point stance by three bearings torotatably support the exercise wheel 10 is close proximity to the kennelwall W.

The physical structure of the exercise wheel 10 in the mounted versionis substantially identical to that described above with respect to thefree standing version of the exercise wheel 10. The width of the treadportion 13 can vary according to the intended use of the wheel 10. Forexample, the longitudinal width of the tread portion 13 for the mountedversion of the exercise wheel 10 might be greater than on thefreestanding version because more than one dog might be using themounted version as multiple dogs could be housed in the kennel K and theuse of the exercise wheel 10 is not typically monitored. Likewise, thediameter of the wheel 10 could be anywhere between three feet and 5 feetdepending on the intended usage of the wheel 10. If large dogs areexpected to be using the exercise wheel 10, a larger diameter would bedesired for the comfort of the animal using the wheel 10. In the mountedconfiguration, the diameter of the wheel 10 would also be a function ofthe size of the kennel K to which the exercise wheel 10 is to beattached. The exit opening 5 in the kennel wall W needs to be positionin general alignment with the bottom of the wheel so that the dog caneasily enter and exit the tread portion 13.

As is best seen in FIGS. 6 and 10, the circular ring 16 is positioned asclosely to the kennel wall W as possible. However, a gap 42 between thecircular ring 16 and the wall W is necessary to prevent interferencebetween the wheel 10 and the wall W so as to allow the exercise wheel tofreely rotate as the dog walks along the tread portion 13. To cover thisgap 42 and prevent a dog's paw from being caught in the gap 42 and causeinjury to the animal, a semi-circular seal 40 is affixed to the kennelwall W and positioned over the gap 42 such that the circular ring 16rotates beneath the seal 40. Preferably, the seal 40 will extend overthe lower half of the exercise wheel 10 to cover the gap 42; however,the seal 42 could extend completely around the peripheral edge of thecircular ring 16.

As can be seen best in FIGS. 2 and 6, the back wall 12 of the exercisewheel 10 can be formed with a chamfer 45 formed as a sloped surface thatextends around the rearward edge of the tread portion 13. This slopedsurface 45 would provide a buffer between the horizontally orientedtread portion 13 and the vertically oriented back wall 12 to prevent theinjury to the dog by mis-stepping onto the back wall 12 as the animal isexercising on the tread portion 13. The size and angle of this slopedchamfer 45 can be varied according to the intended use of the exercisewheel. The larger the animal that is expected to use the wheel 10, thegreater the diameter of the wheel 10 and the larger the sloped chamfer45 should be. The chamfer 45, however, may not be desirable in allcircumstances and the exercise wheel 10 can be formed with the treadportion 13 joining the back wall 12 at a ninety (90) degree angle. Inmost circumstances, it is believed that the non-chamfered configurationwould be preferred.

The structure define above for the exercise wheel 10 provides anunobstructed ingress and egress for the animal due to the frame andsupports for the wheel 10, whether configured in the freestanding ormounted versions. The axis of rotation for the wheel 10 is defined bythe bearing 25 located behind the back wall 12 which cannot obstruct theingress and egress of the animal from the wheel 10, or interfere withthe animal during the use of the wheel 10. In addition to the floormatting 14, the exercise wheel 10 can be provided with a number ofoptional attachments that are not depicted in the drawings, including adevice for recording the time and/or distance traveled during theoperation of the wheel 10, which can be an effective means to show theamount of exercise a kennel-confined animal receives. Such a recordingdevice can be mechanical or electronic and is of a construction that iswell known in the art.

Other possible optional attachments could include a reward mechanismthat would dispense a treat as a reward to the animal in response tocertain achieved parameters, such as the amount of time or distancetraveled, accessing the wheel 10, etc. A braking apparatus could also beadded to the bearing 25 defining the axis of rotation, or to the rollers29, to limit the speed of operation of the exercise wheel 10 or to placea variable drag on the rotation of the wheel 10 corresponding to thesize of the dog using the wheel 10. Rotation warning devices and arestraint cover could also be provided.

It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps andarrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated toexplain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made bythose skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within theprinciples and scope of the invention. The foregoing descriptionillustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however,concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in otherembodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

1. An exercise wheel for use in the exercise of animals, comprising: acircular tread portion defining a cylindrical structure terminating at aforward peripheral edge by a circular ring, said tread portion includinga first covering on which the canine can walk; a back wall orientedgenerally vertically and being positioned adjacent said tread portion inopposition to said circular ring, said back wall including a secondcovering to prevent the canine from passing through said back wall whileon the tread portion; and a support frame providing a three bearingsupport of said circular tread portion, including a transverse strutsupporting an axial bearing located rearwardly of said back wall forrotatably supporting a central shaft projecting only rearwardly of saidback wall and defining an axis of rotation for said exercise wheel and apair of bearings mounting rollers engaged with said tread portion in acircumferentially spaced relationship beneath said circular ringestablishing a longitudinally spaced bearing support to rotatablysupport said tread portion for rotation about said axis of rotation,said support frame extending around said tread portion with saidtransverse strut being oriented generally horizontally rearwardly ofsaid back wall.
 2. The exercise wheel of claim 1 wherein said pair ofrollers is engaged with said circular ring.
 3. The exercise wheel ofclaim 2 wherein said central shaft is affixed to a central disk on saidback wall and projects rearwardly therefrom away from said back wall,said axial bearing and said rollers being spaced longitudinally toprovide a stable three-point stance for said tread portion.
 4. Theexercise wheel of claim 3 wherein said axial bearing is mounted on abearing support plate positioned behind said back wall.
 5. The exercisewheel of claim 4 wherein said support frame comprises: a base portion; apair of upwardly converging support legs extending upwardly from saidbase portion to terminate at said bearing support plate positionedbehind said back wall; and a pair of roller support members extendingupwardly from said base portion beneath said circular ring, said rollersbeing rotatably mounted in said roller support members and positionedfor engagement with said circular ring in said circumferentially spacedrelationship.
 6. The exercise wheel of claim 1 wherein said circularring is formed as an L-shaped member extending around the frontperipheral edge of said tread portion, each said roller being engagedwith said L-shaped member.
 7. The exercise wheel of claim 1 wherein saidtread portion is positioned outwardly of said static structure with saidcircular ring being spaced from said static structure by a gap, saidexercise wheel further comprising a seal attached to said staticstructure and overlapping said gap.
 8. The exercise wheel of claim 1wherein said first covering on said tread portion is a wire mesh.
 9. Theexercise wheel of claim 8 wherein said back wall is formed with achamfer at said tread portion defining a sloped buffer between saidhorizontally extending tread portion and said vertically extending backwall.
 10. An exercise wheel for mounting on a vertical exterior wall ofa dog kennel, comprising: a circular tread portion defining acylindrical structure terminating at a peripheral edge by a circularring, said tread portion including a first covering on which the caninecan walk; a back wall oriented generally vertically and being positionedadjacent said tread portion in opposition to said circular ring, saidback wall including a second covering to prevent the canine from passingthrough said back wall while on the tread portion; first and secondsupport members, each said support member including a fixation bracketfor connection to said vertical wall; a pair of roller support arms,each said roller support arm positioning a roller into engagement withsaid circular ring at a transversely spaced relationship; a mounting armprojecting generally perpendicularly from each said support member andterminating in an attachment bracket located rearwardly of said backwall; a transverse strut extending between the opposing said attachmentbrackets behind said back wall; and an axial bearing being mounted on abearing support plate mounted on said transverse strut, said axialbearing rotatably supporting a central shaft projecting rearwardly ofsaid back wall to define an axis of rotation for said exercise wheel.11. The exercise wheel of claim 10 wherein said central shaft is affixedto a central disk on said back wall and projects rearwardly therefromaway from said back wall, said tread portion being positioned outwardlyof said vertical wall with said circular ring being spaced from saidvertical wall by a gap, said exercise wheel further comprising a sealattached to said vertical wall and overlapping said gap.
 12. Theexercise wheel of claim 11 wherein said first covering on said treadportion is a wire mesh, said back wall being formed with a chamfer atsaid tread portion to define a sloped buffer between said horizontallyextending tread portion and said vertically extending back wall.
 13. Anexercise wheel for deployment on a dog kennel having a vertical wall,comprising: a circular tread portion defining a cylindrical structureterminating at a peripheral edge by a circular ring, said tread portionincluding a first covering on which the canine can walk; a back walloriented generally vertically and being positioned adjacent said treadportion in opposition to said circular ring, said back wall including asecond covering to prevent the canine from passing through said backwall while on the tread portion; and a support frame providing a threebearing support of said circular tread portion, including a transversestrut supporting an axial bearing located rearwardly of said back wallfor rotatably supporting a central shaft projecting only rearwardly ofsaid back wall and defining an axis of rotation for said exercise wheel,and a pair of bearings mounting a corresponding pair of rollers engagedwith said circular ring in a circumferentially spaced relationshipbeneath said circular ring to rotatably support said tread portion forrotation about said axis of rotation, said rollers being spacedforwardly of said back wall such that said axial bearing and saidrollers are spaced longitudinally to provide a three-point stance forsaid tread portion.
 14. The exercise wheel of claim 13 wherein saidsupport frame comprises: first and second support members, each saidsupport member including a fixation bracket for connection to saidvertical wall; a pair of roller support arms positioning said rollersinto engagement with said circular ring at said circumferentially spacedrelationship; a mounting arm projecting generally perpendicularly fromeach said support member and terminating in an attachment bracketlocated rearwardly of said back wall; and said transverse strutextending between the opposing said attachment brackets behind said backwall, said axial bearing being supported on a bearing support platemounted on said transverse strut to rotatably support said centralshaft.
 15. The exercise wheel of claim 14 wherein said roller supportarms are connected, respectively, to said support members.
 16. Theexercise wheel of claim 15 wherein said central shaft is affixed to acentral disk on said back wall and projects only rearwardly therefromaway from said back wall.
 17. The exercise wheel of claim 16 whereinsaid tread portion is positioned outwardly of said vertical wall withsaid circular ring being spaced from said vertical wall by a gap, saidexercise wheel further comprising a seal attached to said vertical walland overlapping said gap.
 18. An exercise wheel for deployment in a dogkennel, comprising: a circular tread portion defining a cylindricalstructure terminating at a peripheral edge by a circular ring, saidtread portion including a first covering on which the canine can walk; aback wall oriented generally vertically and being positioned adjacentsaid tread portion in opposition to said circular ring, said back wallincluding a second covering to prevent the canine from passing throughsaid back wall while on the tread portion; and a support frameassociated with a portion of a wall positioned around said circular ringsuch that said circular ring defines an opening in said portion of saidwall, said support frame providing a three bearing support of saidcircular tread portion, including a transverse strut supporting an axialbearing rotatably supporting a central shaft projecting rearwardly ofsaid back wall and defining an axis of rotation for said exercise wheel,and a pair of bearings corresponding to a pair of rollers engaged withsaid circular ring in a circumferentially spaced relationship beneathsaid circular ring to rotatably support said tread portion for rotationabout said axis of rotation, said support frame extending around saidtread portion with said transverse strut being oriented generallyhorizontally rearwardly of said back wall.
 19. The exercise wheel ofclaim 18 wherein said support frame comprises: first and second supportmembers, each said support member including a fixation bracket forconnection to said portion of said wall; and a pair of roller supportarms positioning rollers into engagement with said circular ring at saidcircumferentially spaced relationship.